An exceptionally rare inscribed and autographed copy of 'A Spaniard In The Works' including a large lock of John Lennon's hair taped to the inside front cover inscribed in biro 'To Betty lots of love and hair from John Lennon'

A rare autographed publicity photograph, inscribed by all four members of the band whilst on the set of the film 'Help' boldly signed and inscribed in two different pens, inscription reads 'lots of love to Betty, ma wee Betty' from Paul McCartney', 'to Betty love from George 'Dandruff' Harrison', 'Betty for Queen, Ringo Starr' and 'to Betty many loves and hairs from bonnie John 'Curly' Lennon'

Betty Glasgow working on John Lennon during the filming of "Help!".

LONDON - A lock of John Lennon's hair fetched £24,000 ($48,000) on Wednesday as part of an auction of Beatles memorabilia collected by the band's hairdresser.

The hair — inside an autographed copy of Lennon's book "A Spaniard in the Works" — sold to an unnamed telephone bidder.

Gorringes, the auction house, had estimated that the hair would sell for 2,000 to 3,000 pounds ($4,000 to $6,000).

Lennon gave the book and the lock of hair to Betty Glasow, the Fab Four's hairdresser during their heyday. He wrote in the book, "To Betty, Lots of Love and Hair, John Lennon xx."

"It is astonishing that there is still so much interest in the Beatles and the sale goes to prove that John Lennon is still an icon," said Francesca Collin, a spokeswoman for Gorringes. "To have some of Lennon's hair along with a signed note from him really does give it fantastic provenance and authenticity."

Glasow, who kept The Beatles' famous mops trimmed on the "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" film sets in the 1960's, decided to sell the items because she wanted fans to have them, Muston said.

"She feels that rather than these things being stuck in a drawer with nobody enjoying them, real enthusiasts (could) get their hands on these things," said Nick Muston, a director of the auction house.

Other items sold included signed photographs of the band dedicated to Glasow, including one where George Harrison signed the photo George "Dandruff" Harrison, which sold for 6,500 pounds ($13,000).

Glasow also worked with a number of actors, and her collection included an album of signed photos and personal messages from actors such as Michael Caine from "Educating Rita" and Peter Ustinov from "Death on the Nile," as well as Steve McQueen from "The War Love" and Harrison Ford from "Patriot Games," and the cast of the Harry Potter films.

--She also had an uncredited role as the barmaid in the scene when The Beatles are in the pub in "Help!" when Ringo falls down the trap door.